Liverpool star recalls ‘hardest game’ against Hibs’ Brandon Barker

On Saturday night, Liverpool kid Trent Alexander-Arnold will come up against the likes of Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo in the final of the Champions League.

However, as he prepared this week to line up in Kiev’s NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, the 19-year-old’s mind cast back to the day he was given one of the most torrid games of his career by Hibs’ on-loan Manchester City winger Brandon Barker.

Brandon Barker impressed while on loan at Hibs

Alexander-Arnold, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past 12 months – so much so that he has forced his way into England’s World Cup squad – came up against Barker as he faced City’s Under-21 side.

City won the match 3-0 but Alexander-Arnold, then 17, was substituted long before the end. He recalled: “It was one of the first times I’d played at right-back.

“I was up against an unbelievable team and an unbelievable player in Brandon Barker. That’s probably one of the hardest games I’ve had.

“It brings back bad memories for me but it’s those type of games that help you learn.”